After playing through Dishonored 2 and loving it, I was justifiably very interested in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. Taking one of the coolest characters, Billy Lurk, and giving her the lead role? Check. Bringing back Daud, probably the most popular character from the original Dishonored and it’s DLC. Done. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider took over where Dishonored 2 left off and created an awesome new adventure spanning over five chapters and providing a unique theme which should resonate throughout the IP in the future should Arkane Studios choose to continue with the series.
Story
In Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Billy Lurk, having reclaimed her identity and true self, goes on a search to find her old mentor, the super assassin Daud. In the act of freeing Daud, she agrees to do him one final favor before he dies and drifts off into the Void. Find and kill the Outsider. Obviously, this is no small task.
From that point on, as you investigate the means to kill the Outsider, the story is filled with side plots and such that you will encounter as you progress, that each add color and life to the world while also enhancing the overall story. the ability to use short, contextual snippets to really fill out this world is nothing short of spectacular.
The writing was mature and spot on in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. I enjoyed every moment of the story, from the overarching theme to all the sub stories and sub plots Billy Lurk encounters as she works her way to finding the Outsider.
9.5 out of 10
Gameplay
The gameplay in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is fairly well the same as Dishonored 2, albeit with a couple new abilities and a few left out. Billy Lurk has a cybernetic eye that allows her to magnify her vision. She can also speak to rats, and rats will often feed Billy with important information and clues that will help her in her journey. Gone however is crafting bone charms, although she makes liberal use of bone charms, and in fact, they are quite plentiful in this game.
Also gone is any appreciable impact due to choosing high or low chaos as the basis for your playthrough. I noticed no appreciable difference when I went total pacifist or when I killed a bunch of people. However, moral choices are still there…..they just don’t impact the world in the way they did in Dishonored or Dishonored 2.
Also gone is character customization. Billy Lurk isn’t coming into her skills; she already has her set of skills intact, and so there will be no upgrading them. However, perfecting their usage is of course a strong dynamic to the Death of the Outsider experience. Upgrading actual equipment and equipment slots remains however and is handled via purchases at the Black Market just as it was in Dishonored 2.
You will also take on side contracts, which are revealed during trips to the different Black Market stores. These contracts are pretty diverse and often necessarily difficult, but always attainable. These will give you extra cash to spend at the Black Market. I will leave one note regarding the Black Market. Make sure you have purchased everything you want to have purchased before completing Chapter 4.
The open world design is spot on, and you will revisit some areas from Dishonored 2 as well, for reasons that make total sense within the context of the story. However, you will also experience some completely new and cool areas as well. The pacing is also immaculate. You can obviously go as fast or slow as you desire. I personally took my time, exploring different crooks and crannies, listening in on conversations, and exploring different means of passage.
10 out of 10
Graphics
The graphics are exactly the same as with Dishonored 2. I don’t see the point of rehashing that here, but you can check out my review of Dishonored 2 to read up on my thoughts regarding the graphics in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider.
8 out of 10
Audio
Rosario Dawson is one of my favorite actresses and favorite voices, so being able to listen to her as the voice for Billy Lurk was nice. That said, it wasn’t without some lackluster moments unfortunately. Overall, her performance was stellar, but there were a few wooden lines here and there. Michael Madsen obviously plays Daud and is flawless in the execution of his role. The rest of the voice acting staff were similarly excellent.
The music was much more operatic in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider than in previous entries and very cool in my estimation. There were also some nice background orchestrations and the ambient sounds really made this a living breathing world once again.
8.5 out of 10
Verdict
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is a truly great stand alone expansion that is truly worthy of any collection. My own playthrough weighed in at about 16 hours, and I didn’t actually fully explore everything despite my intention of doing so. Plenty was left unseen and unfinished for a second playthrough. I did however see both of the two endings and both were very cool. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider comes with a ringing endorsement from me. I highly recommend checking it out.
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